With only days remaining before Tuesday's election, President Obama carved out time from his frenzied election schedule to come to Bridgeport.
The visit was designed to rally the troops for the entire Democratic ticket, but it clearly helped energize the voters in Bridgeport in the Congressional district of U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.
At the same time as the rally, the Republican challenger in the race, state Sen. Dan Debicella, was traveling throughout Fairfield County in a search for votes. A new poll by the CT Capitol Report web site places Debicella in the lead in a tight race.
"This race is going to be 52 to 48 percent one way or the other,'' Debicella told Capitol Watch in an interview. "It's going to be a nail-biter. It's a swing district. You've got to represent the poor, the middle class and the rich.''
Debicella said he had no problem with Obama - the best-known politician in America - campaigning in Bridgeport on the Saturday before the election.
"I think it's going to crystalize the race,'' Debicella said. "Himes has voted with [U.S. House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi 94 percent of the time. If you agree with that, you should stick with Jim Himes. I think the President really crystalizes it. If people agree with the president's agenda, they'll vote for it. Jim Himes and I are equally excited'' about Obama's impact on the race.